“Blindspot,” on Monday nights this fall, is an action-packed hour from Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter and Martin Gero that looks like NBC’s best chance to be a freshman hit. You’ve seen the promos for what feels like months now.

Jaimie Alexander, a wrestler with “a strong fight background,” plays the central character, a Jane Doe who has amnesia and is found, body covered in tattoos, in Times Square. The character is discovered to have special ops training, taking advantage of Alexander’s skills.

The full body tat takes seven and a half hours to apply. To save time on certain days she can get away with wearing a hoodie or long sleeves. (She has seven tatoos of her own, strategically covered by the makeup tats.) Producers shut down Times Square in the wee hours to get the opening scene.

“It’s a procedural for people who don’t like procedurals and a character drama for people who don’t like character dramas,” said co-star Sullivan Stapleton, covering all PR bases for the network.

Mapmakers, quiz and puzzle specialists, a magician and others were consulted on the body art. “We’re very conscious that people are going to pause the picture and study the tatoos” to try to figure things out, producer Gero said. He joked optimistically that the Jane Doe character has eight or nine seasons’ worth of tattoos on her body, “the legs are just for the spinoff.”

Syfy today announced premiere dates for two eagerly anticipated series, “The Expanse” and “Childhood’s End,” and unveiled other series in development.

“The Expanse” will premiere Dec. 14 on Syfy, continuing Dec. 15 before moving to a regular Tuesday timeslot for the remainder of its 10-episode first season. “The most ambitious series in Syfy history,” The Expanse is set two hundred years in the future, after mankind has colonized the solar system. A hardened detective (Thomas Jane, “Hung”) and a rogue ship’s captain (Steven Strait, “Magic City”) come together for what starts as the case of a missing young woman and evolves into a race across the solar system to expose the greatest conspiracy in human history.
Emmy® winner and Oscar nominee Shohreh Aghdashloo (“House of Saddam,” “House of Sand and Fog”) also stars as Chrisjen Avasarala, a cunning politician.

“Childhood’s End,” a six-hour miniseries, will air over three consecutive nights starting Monday, Dec. 14, two hours per night through Dec. 16. Childhood’s End follows the peaceful invasion of Earth by the alien Overlords, who at first seem peaceful, later, not so much… The miniseries is adapted by Matthew Graham (creator of BBC’s “Life on Mars” and “Ashes to Ashes”).

Frederik Pohl’s novel “Gateway,” a “first contact story,” will be developed as a one-hour series with “Battlestar Galactica” alum David Eick as showrunner.

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Playwright and writer/producer Sarah Treem was on the defensive before critics at the press tour today regarding the truth, the style and the time-jumping complications of “The Affair” on Showtime. She shouldn’t be: the show continues to transfix.

The series co-created by Treem (House of Cards, In Treatment) and Hagai Levi (In Treatment) is engrossing and psychologically taut and requires more attention than the average drama. Season 2 (debuting Oct. 4) is about consequences, Season 3 has some redemptive elements.

“The truth is in the conversation between the two P.O.V.s,” Treem said. “As storytellers we’re just excited about pushing the form a little bit.”

The actors similarly discussed how their show denies objective truth. “It’s a complex show. The conceit is about perspective,” offered Ruth Wilson, who plays Alison.

After much discussion, Dominic West, as Noah, said, “I thought I’d got it down but now I’m completely confused. My main concern is that everyone likes Noah which, of course, is not possible.”

Maura Tierney as Helen said she has struggled with the flawed memories of the characters, too.

But this is what life is like: As a child of divorce, Jackson said, “I know my parents had two different stories of what happened.”

The relationships among the four central characters, in a show about subjective truth and points of view, will keep going although the court case will conclude this year, Treem said. The recollections of the people are intentionally divergent, Treem said, especially in stressful situations. Eyewitness accounts are not to be trusted. “Their memories start to get radically different. That’s the principle we were operating under.”

“I think some viewers are getting it, I think others are more confused. We’re not doing it to make sure everyone understands it perfectly. We are actually okay if people start to think” it’s tough to believe. “It compounds itself… you’re retelling the memory of the last time you told it.”

When the time frame jumps three months, viewers are left to fill in gaps based on what we know from other characters’ points of view.

At a time when Netflix embraces the full-season dump and viewers are becoming accustomed to binge watching, Hulu is taking a different tack. Hulu chief Craig Erwich announced here today that the service will release original shows weekly, endorsing the “joy of watercooler TV.”

Erwich is going for speed. Releasing new content weekly can “get shows on faster without waiting for full series completion.” He also noted that once all episodes air, they’ll be available for an all-at-once binge.

Two I plan to check out: “RocketJump” is intriguing, revealing how shorts are made and how special effects are done. (The eight- to 15-minute films live on YouTube). The Julie Klausner-Billy Eichner comedy “Difficult People,” from Amy Poehler, looks most promising. (Picture a “Will & Grace” with two Jews who are a six and a seven, Klausner said, by way of TV shorthand.)

Cookie (Taraji P. Henson, L) watches Lucious (Terrence Howard, R) get taken away in the special two-hour “Die But Once/Who I Am” Season Finale episode of EMPIRE (Chuck Hodes, FOX)

The Television Critics Association tonight recognized Fox’s freshman hit “Empire” as program of the year in the annual awards ceremony, this year hosted by “Late Late Show” host James Corden. “Empire” not only reverberated through the popular culture but rejuvenated the broadcast TV industry with its stunning popularity.

Historic “Late Show/Late Night with David Letterman” was honored for its 33-year run and film and television legend James L. Brooks received the career achievement award. Brooks (“The Simpsons,” “Taxi,” “Mary Tyler Moore”) for his role in creating “some of the most groundbreaking and influential television programs over the course of five decades.”

Creator-producer Ryan Murphy said he can pinpoint the personalities of fans when they comment on which was their favorite season of “American Horror Story.” “It’s like a personality test,” he said.

True horror fans loved the psychological bent of the first season, “AHS: Murder House,” he said. Hard-core drama fans really liked season 2 “Asylum.” Younger people liked season 3, “Coven.” The artsy crowd preferred season 4, “Freak Show.” And now starting Oct. 10, we’re back to primal fears, akin to the first season, for “American Horror Story: Hotel.” (Note: Don’t watch these clips when you’re living in a hotel for an extended period.)

This season, set in downtown Los Angeles, the horror will seep out of the hotel a bit and “we’ll be in the streets more.” Stevie Nicks joins the anthology series in later episodes. Contemporary American horrors — namely addiction — will be among the themes.

Lady Gaga plays Elizabeth, owner of the hotel, who, Murphy said, has a nefarious plan that is revealed in the first episode and plays out over the season. Gaga starts shooting next week.

The enormous set on the Fox lot is the grandest yet, Murphy said. “Jaw-dropping,” Kathy Bates said.

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John Landgraf, CEO of FX Networks and prognosticator for the TV industry, dared to speak from the network side what all of us on the couch already know: there’s Too Much TV.

He thinks the bubble will burst next year.

Landgraf lamented “the rapidly increasing amount of scripted television,” noting the current count of 371 originals. He thinks the industry is about to “blow through the 400 originals mark.”

Everyone is trying to figure out when and if this proliferation of scripted series will level off. “This year I finally lost track of every programmer in the scripted business. This is simply too much television.” Landgraf believes 2015 or 2016 will represent the peak, leading to a decline in the number of originals.

Looking to the future, Landgraf believes brands will rule. Without a brand identity, networks will struggle. “As technology evolves, brands will become increasingly important. It’s no different than what happens in the grocery store.”

Fifteen years ago, FX shot its first pilot, “The Shield,” which became the cornerstone of a brand. “It would be virtually impossible now for one show to launch a network,” the way “The Shield” did for FX, “Mad Men” did for AMC, Landgraf said.

Landgraf also noted it’s “impossible to retain quality control with too many shows,” and the ability to make money on TV shows is challenged when shows are available all the time, everywhere. He sees the industry in a final scrum, playing a game of musical chairs, jockeying for fewer seats.

It’s the nature of every industry, proliferation, then consolidation. “To be blunt, there’s going to be a culling of the herd.” Independent networks will fare the worst, he said. It will be more and more important to be a large media company.

The glut of advertising will also change, he predicts; innovation in ad-supported programming will mean fewer spots will have a larger impact.

Getting attention after a quick thumbs up or down is nearly impossible these days, he acknowledged. “The audience is so overwhelmed, it’s difficult to get people to take a second look.”

The “transactional” businesses, like Netflix, are having a much easier time. (FX sells its shows to Netflix, Hulu and Amazon.)

“It’s going to be a messy, inelegant process.”

Other FX notes: Louie C.K. will take an extended hiatus from “Louie” to do movie and produce two new shows. “The Americans” season 4 bows in Jan. or Feb.; “You’re the Worst” moves to FXX. “American Crime Story: The People v O.J. Simpson” premieres early 2016.

FX announced “American Horror Story: Hotel” will check in Oct. 7, new drama “The Bastard Executioner” from Kurt Sutter begins its ultra-violent run Sept. 15 and the second installment of “Fargo” launches Oct. 12.

FX picked up the new comedy “Better Things” starring Pamela Adlon and co-created and produced by Louis C.K. Sister network FXX picked up to series the animated comedy “Cassius and Clay,” and becomes the new home for the animated comedy “Archer.”

“Empire,” the hip-hop soap that was the cultural and TV business phenom of last season, returns Sept. 23 on Fox.

The series is getting a companion series on the network. The Lee Daniels music dynasty sudser will be joined by “Star,” about three girls climbing in the music business in Atlanta, Fox executives announced today. “One of our characters is rising out of poverty, and there’s a lot from Lee’s own life that’s baked into the DNA of this project,” Fox’s Dana Walden said.

The magic of “Empire,” the highest rated broadcast drama in seven years, a show that saw its ratings climb every week for 10 weeks, was its mix of music, cultural commentary, sibling rivalry, sex and terrific casting. Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard lead a dynamic troupe.

For anyone questioning “the relevance of the broadcast network and whether it’s still part of the cultural conversation,” Fox’s Walden said, consider “Empire” and its 17 million viewers on average in the week after broadcast.

Going forward, “we open up new doors,” executive producer Ilene Chaiken said. The goal is to continue to “challenge convention.”

“When I’m afraid, when I say do we really want to do this? then I know I’m in a safe place,” Daniels said. Season 2 will “peel back yet another layer of what is going on in America, specifically with this African-American family.” Expect Denzel Washington, Oprah Winfrey and others to make appearances but the Lyon family will remain the focus.

Asked about the Emmy nomination snub for the landmark TV series, Daniels said, “I spoke to my cast when we didn’t get an Emmy nomination. I said We are lucky to be employed. I am honored to just go to work.” A director’s cut of the pilot is forthcoming. A spinoff of “Empire” is likely, Daniels said.

“I don’t worry about things I have no control over,” Rhimes said, dismissing a question about whether it was a worrisome season given all the discussion of the Shondaland brand. She similarly shied away from acknowledging any notion of having left a legacy with her breakout roles for women of color. And while her company, Shondaland, controls all of the series, Rhimes took care to note she has only two shows on the air, Pete Nowalk has one.

Now that Davis is nominated for an Emmy, for lead actress in a drama series as Annalise Keating on “HTGAWM,” which would represent an historic breaking of the color barrier, she declined to make predictions. “If you’re in this business for awards, you’re in the wrong business,” Davis said.

“Meredith Grey’s never been defined by her relationship with a man,” Rhimes shot back when asked how the death of McDreamy on “Grey’s” would alter the character of Meredith.

The decision to have Patrick Dempsey’s character exit the way he did was “not a difficult one. Either he was going to walk out on Meredith and leave her high and dry…for me that was untenable… So as painful as it was for me as a storyteller,” Rhimes said, “Derek was going to have to die in order for that love to remain honest.” Death was the only way to have their love “remain true and forever frozen in time.”

As difficult as it was emotionally for the workplace family, Pompeo said, for an actor it was also “really juicy.”

Washington may have had the most obvious observation: She always feels people are “terribly misguided when they tell me Olivia Pope is their role model.” The “Scandal” character is a woman dating a married man, who is a murderer, for whom she stole an election… She’s not a role model, Washington said. While “Grey’s” moves to a lighter tone next season, “Scandal” picks up where it left off, Rhimes said, with things not going well for people. On “HTGAWM,” the question is, what has Analise wrought? More backstories will be revealed, Norwalk said.

Part of the beauty of the Olivia Pope character is her flaws, Washington suggested: “Nothing is perfect in Shondaland. People are real.”

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Joanne Ostrow has been watching TV since before "reality" required quotation marks. "Hill Street Blues" was life-changing. If Dickens, Twain or Agatha Christie were alive today, they'd be writing for television. And proud of it.